Description: The project aims to create cooperation between research based institutions and society oriented organizations which are focused on exchange of knowledge and experience in identification and assessment of the risk of suicide as well as development of learning material guidelines and education programs for keypersons in partner countries such as teachers, social pedagogues, social workers, politicians and parents to develop interactive exchange platform for the dissemination of guidelines and recommendations for various community groups.

The purpose of the project is to estabilish and implement the training program which supports the estabilishment of mentally and physically healthy environment in communities through training the key specialists in communities to implement preventive interventions.

The training will be implemented in 2 stages:
– Training for trainers (30 experts who already have experiences in the health promotion field and who will be the trainers for the key specialists in communities will be trained)
– Training for specialists (450 key persons in communities who will implement the training knowledge in Estonian local governments / municipalities)

The main objective of the project is to increase the awareness about mental health and to improve the quality of web-based information channels and the level and range of counselling services. For meeting the objective:

a new web portal in Estonian and Russian language will be created, which will be mainly targeted at young people (14-26 years old), parents and professionals. The web portal will congregate a target group specific information on mental health and there will be shortcuts to trustable web-based counselling centres;

an alcohol thematic informative webpage www.alkoinfo.ee (in Estonian and Russian languages) for young people will be developed;

guidelines and quality standards for web counsellors to improve and adjust their professional level, in addition to regular training and supervisions, will be developed;

smartphone apllications with self-help functionality to improve one´s mental health will be developed.

Web-based applications will increase the availability of mental health services due to their cost -effective nature and independence of the service user’s geographical location, transport connections and life arrangement. Along with the main activities of the project, an extensive dissemination activities (press releases, articles, television, radio, metier lists etc) and outcome evaluation (usage statistics of the web portal, focus group interviews, the number of counselled persons, number of media editions etc.) will take place.

The expected outcome of the project is increased awareness about mental health and better availability and higher frequency of use of high-quality web-based self-help and web-based counselling services.

Description: General objective of the ACTION-FOR-HEALTH project is to improve health and quality of life of citizens by tackling health inequalities by means of health promotion. This will be reached by increasing the capacity of stakeholders within European regions to use health promotion interventions to effectively tackle health inequalities as a core part of action plans that access Structural Funds.

Description: PREDI-NU is a programme which contributes to the promotion of mental health and the prevention of depression among European teenagers and young adults with the aim of promoting mental health and preventing depression and suicidality through information and communication technologies. Within the frames of the programme, an internet-based guided self-management tool offering psychological help will be developed for young people and adults with mild to moderate depression for supporting their healing process. Also, it is intended to raise awareness about depression among specialists working with young people and adults, for improving early noticing of depression, thus making it possible to quickly provide needed help for people with depression.

SUPREME, EC public health project

Suicide Prevention by Internet and Media Based Mental Health Promotion

Coordinator: NASP, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm (Sweden)Supervisor: Prof Dr Danuta WassermanNational coordinator: Prof Dr Airi VärnikProject manager: Airi Mitendorf (since 2011), Lauraliisa Mark (2010-2011)Duration: 2010-2013Funded by: Executive Agency for Health and Consumers, EU Health Programme 2008-2013 (Grant Agreement No 20091219), Ministry of Social AffairsDescription: General objective of the SUPREME project is to organize a partnership of expert organizations for the development of an internet and media based, multi-language, culturally adapted, mental health promotion and suicide prevention interventions. The intervention will comprise a highly interactive website and a media campaign targeted at adolescents and young adults in the age group 14-24. On the basis of the results guidelines will be issued for best practices in the field of internet and media usage for mental health promotion interventions.

Description: WE-STAY general objectives are: (1) to gather information on truancy on European adolescents, (2) to perform 3 intervention school-based programmes for adolescents, with objectives to reduce truancy rates and improve mental health of students, (3) to evaluate outcomes of all interventions, in comparison with a control group, from a multidisciplinary perspective including social, psychological and economical aspects, and (4) to recommend effective, culturally adjusted models for preventing truancy and promoting mental health of adolescents in different European countries.

Description: ProMenPol follow-up. The project will develop 3 manuals for mental health promotion in 7 languages, one each for the schools, workplace and older people’s living environments settings (latter includes residences but also services delivered at home). It will also develop face-to-face and e-learning training related to these manuals. The project will then test these training courses in each of the settings with the appropriate target groups.

Description: ProMenPol follow-up. This project aims to equip teachers, HR professionals and care workers to understand the factors that are critical to life span mental health maintenance and promotion in schools, workplaces and older people’s services and to initiate, implement and monitor policy and programme development within their organisations.

Description: The main aim of the OSPI-Europe is to provide health politicians, stakeholders and the European Commission with an evidence based and efficient concept for suicide prevention with corresponding materials and instruments for multifaceted intervention, as well as guidelines for the implmentation process.

ROAMER

ROAMER is a project funded by the European Commission under the Seventh Framework Programme, 2007-2013, n° 282586.

The project aims to create a coordinated road map for the promotion and integration of mental health and well-being research across Europe. The project is divided into several work packages that focus on different areas and aspects of mental health research. Airi Värnik was invited to join the team of mental health experts of work package 7 – public health research targeting mental health.

Description: Monitoring of Suicide attempts, continuation of WHO/Euro Multicentre Study on Parasuicide, started in 1995. 15 European countries (19 centers) with defined catchment area are involved, one of them Estonia – Tallinn Centre. The objective of the study is to get evidence-based data about parasuicides and to reduce morbidity and mortality caused by parasuicides, to promote suicide prevention and to improve the quality of treatment.